Post-Surgery

Well, I survived the surgery. The doctor said it went very well. The surgery took about 1.5 hours to complete. I had to be kept awake during the surgery so that I could talk with the doctor about how the prosthetic felt, and to be able to speak so that we could test how well it worked. These prosthetics are custom fitted for best results. I was a little nervous about being awake during the surgery. But I got really nervous when part way through the surgery I heard the doctor say: "Get me the big knife this one is not working ... hmm, this one is not working either, get me the saw ..." Buzzzzz. I white knuckled it during that part. But honestly I did not feel any pain at all. They shot me up with a bunch of local anesthesia for the pain, so all I really felt was pressure and pinching during the procedure. I could notice an immediate difference in my voice afterwards. But it is still quite raspy due to all of the swelling. The doctor told me not to talk for the next 3-4 days to allow the swelling to go down, at which point he expects my voice will sound very much like normal. I have half a dozen staples in my neck where they made the incision, and a large bandage that will be in place for the next week or so. I spent the night at the surgical center so that they could monitor my vitals. It wasn't too bad, but the bed wasn't that great, so i didn't sleep much. They have me on pain killers and antibiotics until the swelling goes down. It went very well and my hopes are high for the end results. Take care. -Eric